Cardfight Megami Tensei ReCode:V
by Rebel King Lucifer
Summary: At age 21, Devil Summoner Kazuya Minegishi is a loner who doesn't like to socialize with people very much. Cold and aloof, he often shrugs off the prospects of friendship and trust, carrying the burden of a past that has left him bitter and angry at the world. However, one day he starts to play Vanguard and his life begins to turn around as he is placed into encounters with others.
1. Opening 1

_**-[Play "Reincarnation" by Yoshino Nanjo]-**_

 _ **-Opening Instrumental-**_

= As the song begins, the shot reveals several locations in Tokyo as the sun rises and illuminates everything. The members of Teams Q4 minus Aichi, as well as the Devil Summoners, look towards the horizon as the new day approaches. The sun rising up in front of the reader's eyes, light covers everything and the scene transitions.

 _ **Kowashitai daijisou ni kakaeta watashi o zenbu**_ _  
[ I'm breaking down - All the walls I've built up around my lonely heart now. ]_

= A young Aichi is then shown lying on the ground, covered in bruises after being bullied. The shot then changes to show a young Kazuya, sitting alone in a park as he looks dejectedly at a single Vanguard card in his hand.

 _ **Kimi ga kono kodoku o itami o iyasu no**_ _  
[ You're the one that takes it all away, my solitude and all my pain. ]_

= The shot then changes two more times, showing Aichi as he shakily stands up and starts walking forward, while Kazuya just stays sitting and glances up at the sky.

 _ **Reincarnation Realization… Reincarnation kiete shimaitai**_ _  
[ Reincarnation Realization… Reincarnation... I want to disappear. ]_

= As the shot pans up abruptly to show a cloudless sky, the title "Cardfight Megami Tensei ReCode:V" appears, with the Japanese characters for "Megami Tensei" appearing behind the title in red lettering.

 _ **Nemuranai machi no zawameki aisou warai no yuutsu**_ _  
[ I walk alone through the city of lights, I see the same fake smiles every night. ]_

= The scene changes, now showing Aichi as he stands by himself on a train, looking dejectedly out the window. He then fishes out _Blaster Blade_ and looks down at the card for a moment in thought.

 _ **Honne nante itsuka doko ka mienai furi**_ _  
[ Cause everyone hides… They run and they hide from their real feelings. ]_

= Against a blue backdrop, Team AL4 and Team Tyrant appear. Appearing behind them all higher up is an image of Kai as he looks upwards with an unreadable expression.

 _ **Dare datte fuan nante sonna iware nakutemo wakatteru**_ _  
[ And everyone's got their stresses too, yeah I know, but I already get that's the status quo. ]_

= Next, Kazuya is shown as he summons his sword and charges at the silhouette of a demon. Just after his attack is blocked effortlessly, Kazuya scoffs and his eyes begin to glow bright red; he charges forward once more and lets out a battle cry, his sword at the ready.

 _ **Kowashitai daijisou ni kakaeta tsuyogari nante demo sunao ni narenai**_ _  
[ I'm breaking down - All the masks that I wear to hide my lonely heart now. But what if I'm just lying to myself? ]_

= The scene shifts, showing Kazuya and the members of Team Q4 as they each transform into their signature units in quick succession. Afterwards, Aichi as _Blaster Blade_ and Kazuya as _The Avenger, Abel_ charge forward at the screen.

 _ **Mayottemo nayan demo kimi ga motomeru nara**_ _  
[ If even now you still want me when I am hurt, wandering lost in the rain, ]_

= Kazuya is then shown as he walks through a crowd on a busy street, with everything around him devoid of color and everyone around him nothing more than silhouettes as they walk by.

 _ **Semete kono kodoku o itami o kowashite**_ _  
[ Then at least help me destroy it all - My solitude, and all my pain. ]_

= Just as the shot focuses in on Kazuya's emotionless expression, his eyes turn up and the shot moves to show Misaki standing there with a friendly smile and everything behind her filled with vibrant colors. As she holds out her hand, Kazuya hesitantly reaches out and takes it in his own.

 _ **Reincarnation realization... Reincarnation... umare kawaritai**_ _  
[ Reincarnation realization... Reincarnation... I want to be reborn. ]_

= The scene then shifts one last time, this time showing Kaoru, Amane, and Kurogasa as they stand facing away from each other on top of a large, glowing Imaginary Gift icon, while Kazuya stands at the center. He looks around at the others warily at first, but after a second nods and stares forward at the reader.


	2. Image 1

**Cardfight Megami Tensei ReCode:V**

 **Image 1**

 **Vanguard of Destiny**

* * *

 _The landscape was a horrific scene. Once a battlefield, it had since devolved into something less glorious and grandiose._

 _This was no longer a battlefield. Not even close._

 _It was a slaughter. A massacre. There was no fighting here, no battles to determine a victor… only death and killing, sorrow and despair._

 _A massive crater sat in the middle of what may have otherwise been a busy city street, but now it just served as a final resting place for those who fell in what was once a glorious battle. Bodies in various states littered the crater. Some were intact but burned or charred, others were simply covered in lacerations and lying in a pool of their own blood, which had already begun to turn a sickly brown as it dried, and others had been torn apart by_ something _, their pieces scattered about the ground._

 _One of these bodies, a girl with short lilac hair - and missing all four limbs - sat up against the wall of the crater, somehow still alive but clearly struggling to remain that way, her eyes nearly lifeless as she used every ounce of her strength to look up at the dark sky._

 _Up in the air, far above the city streets, flashes of light and explosions could be seen igniting in the sky as a skirmish seemed to be going on. A young man, clad from the neck down in heavily damaged teal armor and wielding a massive sword, faced off against another figure who seemed almost inhuman with the amount of raw power and authority they seemed to exude from their very being._

 _The young man, carried through the air by a pair of jet black wings, flew forward and clashed his sword with that of his opponent. However, he was thrown back when they applied even just a tiny bit of strength. Correcting himself in the air, the young man briefly glanced back down at the ground, where he saw the crater full of corpses, as well as the half-dead girl looking up at him, or at least looking in the general direction of the battle. His expression hardened and intensified as he turned back to his enemy, letting out a battle cry full of sorrow, rage, and hatred; black energy seemed to erupt from the blade of his weapon, and with one mighty swing, he unleashed it all in a large crescent-shaped wave that barreled forward._

 _The other one simply narrowed their eyes at this and held out a single hand, merely swatting away the young man's attempt to attack them like it was just an insect. Hiding his shock, the young man yelled again and charged forward, trying to swing at the enemy again, but this time they were far more prepared. They swung with their blade, and easily swatted the young man's weapon out of his hands, sending it tumbling down to the earth below. The young man glared at his opponent, clearly shocked at what had just happened, his attacks all batted aside like they were nothing. The other one simply paid no mind to this and flew forward right at him. The young man was ready to counterattack, when suddenly—_

— _he vanished into thin air, no trace of him even present. And then, before the young man could even begin to figure out where they'd gone, he felt a terrible, searing pain throughout his body as something went right through his chest. Blood began to pour out from his mouth as he shakily looked down at himself, seeing a spear made out of pure light having been impaled right through him. He tried to grab it with his shaky hands, but the weapon simply dissipated before he could even touch it._

 _He barely managed to turn his body as he fell, his strength starting to leave his body already, seeing the other one still hovering in the air above him, looking down at him with no apparent interest as he fell down to the ground below, landing right there in the crater, next to the girl who had been struggling to live._

 _His body felt heavy, impossibly heavy and cold. His strength was almost gone, but he had barely enough to turn his head to look at the limbless girl. But there was no point._

 _She was already dead, her eyes having absolutely no life to them at all anymore._

 _Tears welled up in the young man's eyes as he used the last of his strength to try and reach a bloody hand out to her, but even as he did… that was the last of the energy he had, and his hand fell to the ground, his whole body going numb as fresh blood seeped out of the gaping hole in his chest._

 _The last thing the young man saw as his vision got hazy and his eyes drifted closed, was a bright light supposedly filling the sky…_

* * *

…My eyes slowly flickered open as I woke up, the first rays of sunlight flooding into the room and assaulting me. I shut my eyes again for a second before opening them back up, as they finally started to adjust. It was then I started noticing that my face felt wet. I drew a hand to my face and found that my cheeks were wet from my own tears.

"Huh…?"

I was… crying? But why?

I've never cried once in my life, not since I was a baby anyways; it's never happened during any of the times I've lost family or even when I was just sad or happy about something… I haven't felt sadness for anything or anyone for… I don't actually know how long.

So why is it that I'm suddenly crying? I don't understand…

 _Hate._

That word… or I guess that _feeling_ flashed through my mind again. I've grown used to it by now. On top of everything else, the one emotion I can vividly recall feeling the most is hate. Not a hatred for anyone or anything in particular, just... a hate for everything around me, no matter what it is. I've never really understood it, but it's been prevalent ever since I can remember.

Brushing all that aside, I looked at the digital clock by the bed and noticed I'd be running late if I didn't get my ass up soon. I wiped the tears from my eyes and sat up so I could get my body moving. Groggily, I slid out of bed and started walking towards the bathroom to get myself at least a little cleaned up.

…Ah, I should probably introduce myself, huh? I've been neglecting that so far.

My name is Kazuya. Twenty-one years old; been out of university for over half a year now, and otherwise I'm nothing all that special. I live by myself in Tokyo, and it's been that way ever since I started up my business. Ah, I should mention that as well… See, I'm a private investigator, a freelancer of sorts, though I guess as far as detectives go I'm not your run of the mill gumshoe. More on that later.

I sleepily trudged into the bathroom and got a good look at myself in the mirror. Same face I'm used to seeing. Same chin-length dirty blonde hair with that same _damn_ ahoge. Same blue eyes. Same everything. I took a few minutes to get myself at least a little cleaned up and showered. After that I got a pot of coffee brewing in my small apartment kitchen, then set to get dressed. I took out a white dress shirt, dark tie, dark gray pants, and a gold jacket from my closet, slipping all of that on with a pair of white socks.

Once I was dressed and ready I poured myself a cup of the freshly brewed coffee, fixed up a quick breakfast of some good old fashioned toast and jam, sat down, and enjoyed the nectar of the gods for a few minutes while catching some of the news. The beauty of running your own detective agency? You set your own hours (relatively speaking) and you can be a little lenient with when you go in. Either way, it's just me in the office for a large chunk of the day, so I could afford to be a few minutes late going in.

After a few minutes, I'd downed my coffee and I was all set. I stood up, put my dirty dishes in the sink for later, grabbed my briefcase and shoes, and I was out the door. I walked down a few flights of stairs and headed out through a door at the bottom, stepping out into the urban mess of Tokyo. I took a few seconds to take in a little of the morning city air, and then rounded a corner before heading in through another door. And just like that, I was at my office.

Yeah, I live just above where I work. Back when I first started I rented out the building, which has the bottom floor and then a loft apartment above it. It wasn't the cheapest thing around, but it was pretty convenient, so I took it when I saw the chance. I live in the loft and use the bottom floor as my base of operations, so to speak, so it all works out. It also puts me right in the middle of the city, so the agency is easy enough to find when people come looking for my assistance in person.

I took a little look around the room as I stepped inside. Everything was in place as usual. Good. The room had a small balcony just at the front door that led down into the rest of the room via a couple of steps off to the side. Down below was a whole wall lined with bookshelves off to the left, which were in turn filled with tons of books. More to the center of the room was a pair of couches and a leather armchair, all surrounding a plain coffee table. And then slightly more towards the back and facing away from a large window was a long mahogany desk with stacks of papers, notebooks, and a laptop all taking up space.

I walked over behind the desk and pulled back the curtains to the window, letting the light from outside flood in, which had a good contrasting effect on the dark red walls of the room (I have a thing for dark colors, so as soon as I'd bought some paint, these walls were stained red and nobody could stop me). The window also gave me a nice enough view of the streets outside. I turned back to my desk and eyed the papers taking up space on the side.

"Well, I've got some cases left to document… Better get to work."

* * *

A few hours had gone by and I had managed to get everything sorted out. I organized several of my most recent case files together, backed them up on documents on my computer, and tucked the main copies away in a cabinet under the desk once I was all finished. I sat back in my chair, letting out a huge sigh of relief, and glanced out the window, just to get my eyes away from the screen for a bit. I also glanced at my watch to get a sense of the time, since I'd sort of lost it while working. It was already past one o'clock. Damn, that ate up some time. Then again I guess it's my own damn fault for letting some of that pile up.

I sighed to myself again. Well at least it's all done now, I figured. I was about to go and brew myself another pot of coffee when I heard the door opening from above.

"Hey, Boss! We're here!"

I turned my eyes up and towards the front door, seeing a group of three teens step inside.

One of the teens was a short girl with shoulder-length auburn hair she kept back by a floral bandana, and brown eyes. She wore a sailor-style uniform made of a dark blue blouse, red tie, and a black skirt reaching to her knees. With that, she also wore black thigh socks and pink sandals.

With her was a boy with brown eyes and short black hair, covered under a white cap with a black clip. He was dressed in an outfit vaguely similar to the girl's, but his consisted of a dark blue blazer, white dress shirt, red tie, black trousers and brown shoes. He also had a white wristwatch on his left arm and a blue wristband on his right. He was the one who had spoken up as soon as their little group walked in.

And then next to him was a slightly taller boy, about one or two years older too, with spiked back dark pink hair, matching eyes and sharp features. He was wearing a black tracksuit, with strips of blue lining the jacket's collar and arms, and black shoes.

I quirked a brow for a second as I saw them come in. What are they doing here? I didn't think they'd be here until- Ah that's right, today is Saturday, isn't it?

The boy with the cap, Atsuro, came down the steps and sat down on one of the couches, followed closely by the other two as I waved to them in greeting.

I suppose I should explain. So Atsuro, Yuzu, and Kaido here are my apprentices. They work for me and help me out with cases when Atsuro and Yuzu aren't in school. Kaido is actually a little older than them (but still younger than me), so he just comes around the same time as them. Though they're more than just my apprentices in the detective business, there's a little more to it than that. What is that, I hear you asking? Well I'll get into that later when it comes up. Meanwhile, I noticed that Yuzu was holding something in her hands as she sat down next to Atsuro.

"Hm? Hey Yuzu, what's that?" I asked.

"Oh, right!" she remembered, suddenly standing up and walking over to my desk. She placed what she was holding down in front of me and I got my first good look at it. It was a little package of some kind, easily able to fit in my hand, wrapped up in thick brown packaging paper and tied together with a thin black ribbon.

"Huh…" I muttered.

"On our way here, some girl came up to us and asked me to give this to you." Yuzu explained. Wait, what?

"They asked you to _give_ this to me?" I repeated. I wanted a bit of clarification.

"Yeah, she asked us if we knew you. And after we said 'yes', she just… gave this to us and said that it was important that we handed it off to you." Atsuro shrugged, adjusting his cap.

"Interesting. What did she look like?"

"She was definitely older than us, but she still looked like she was pretty young." Atsuro replied.

"Looked like a foreigner too. Maybe somewhere in Europe, I guess." Kaido added. "You know her or somethin'?"

"No, never met anyone like that…" I replied as I turned the package over in my hands. Definitely something solid.

I gave it a small toss upwards; it was light too. Deciding there was more of a point to open it than not to, I pulled at the knot of the ribbon and it came off cleanly. I carefully unfolded the paper and found the contents of the package. It was a deck of cards, turned upside down to show the back face, which was colored in a mix of black, silver, and blue.

"Vanguard…" I muttered, frowning a little as soon as I laid eyes on the cards. I knew the game. I mean, who wouldn't? It'd shot up in popularity ever since its conception years ago. Everyone either played the game or at least knew about it. Although, these cards had a different significance to me…

"Kazuya, I had no idea you played Vanguard." Atsuro commented as I picked up the deck.

"I used to, but…" I said, turning over the deck and seeing the top card for the first time. "Abel…?" I started looking through the deck and noted I didn't recognize any of the cards there. I continued sifting through the cards until I came across something a little out of place, a folded piece of paper with a crudely drawn map and a red 'X' on a certain spot.

"What is it?" Yuzu asked as she walked around to get a peek at the map herself. I looked at the map carefully, noting the name of the street where the marker was placed.

"Huh, this isn't too far from here…" I muttered in thought, before standing up and pocketing the cards and map. "I'm gonna go and check this out. Whoever the hell wanted me to have this clearly wants to show me something. Who knows… maybe I'll get an answer or two along the way. Yuzu, think you can hold down the fort while I'm gone?"

"Sure!" Yuzu smiled and nodded as I headed towards the door. "I'll make sure Atsuro doesn't mess anything up."

"Wha- hey! C'mon Yoohoo, I'm more responsible than that!" Atsuro groaned as I opened the front door and stepped out. Hmph. Those three are a pain sometimes, but I'll be damned if they don't at least do their job well. I heard Yuzu huff something out about her little nickname as I closed the door and started heading downtown.

* * *

I spent the next half hour or so following the map towards the downtown area as best I could. Maps drawn as crudely as this aren't exactly the easiest things to decipher, and I'd be lying if I said I was a master navigator. But I'm getting off track. Eventually I managed to make it to the street I was supposed to head to, and after a quick scan with my eyes down the way, I found what I assumed was my destination, given what the map showed me.

In front of me was a decent sized building that, on the outside, seemed like it might be built the same way as my place, the main floor on the ground, and then some sort of apartment above. It was a simple design that drew the eye but also didn't stand out within the grand scheme of the densely packed city. Just above a set of sliding glass doors was what I could only assume was the name of the shop, displayed in a fashion as simple as the building's plain design.

"Card… Capital?" I read the name out loud. I took the mysterious deck out of my jacket pocket and looked at it thoughtfully, trying to piece together why I was here. "So it's a game shop. But why show me this place?"

I looked back up at the shop, and for some bizarre-ass reason, there was a strange feeling in my chest I couldn't even begin to describe, a pang of… _something_ , some feeling urging me to go inside, to see more of this place. And pushing the feeling aside for now, I stepped towards the front entrance, thinking maybe I would find my answers if I just went inside.

Once the doors slid open and I was standing just inside the threshold of the store, I got my very first look at the interior.

It was, just like everything else, fairly simple design-wise. A couple of long tables lined the left wall further in, just past the counter and right before what I assumed was the way into the back room. There was a glass display counter against the back wall next to a vending machine too, but the one thing that caught my eye was the small set of stairs leading down into a lowered portion of the floor, almost like some kind of basin that was safeguarded by metal guardrails. I couldn't see what was down there, so I couldn't really figure out its purpose.

I took a glance around the shop and saw that there was a fair number of people towards the back, presumably customers and thus, cardfighters. For some reason my attention focused on a handful of them out of everyone. In particular, there was a blonde teen who was playing against another teen with wild, light brown hair. Both of them looked the same age and wore the same uniform, so I figured they went to the same school and came here together.

There was also a little girl with light orange hair watching their game. Going by her age and the uniform she wore, I guessed that she went to that private elementary school uptown. At the table in front of theirs were two others I apparently took an interest in: a bluenette middle school boy wearing a gray school uniform and a dark-haired kid with absurdly spiky hair on top and a wolf tail in the back. The two of them seemed to be talking a little, and there seemed to be a third guy approaching them, so I just set it aside for the time being.

And then the last person who caught my eye was the girl sitting at the counter. She was pretty obviously a high schooler, with long lilac hair. Underneath the red apron she wore I could make out the uniform of Miyaji Academy. She was watching the customers as they all went about and did their thing, but after a second she suddenly turned her head in my direction, probably having sensed me there, or maybe she felt me staring at her. Or both, both was also a viable option.

Now while I feel downright strange about saying this, especially given my normal apathetic and otherwise harsh disposition towards other people, not to mention the fact I have to be at least three years older than this girl, I… had to admit that she's not exactly all that hard on the eyes. All things considered, she was definitely attractive. The bored look in her blue eyes that had been there before while she was watching everyone else changed to a slightly more curious look. There was something else there though… I couldn't really describe it, but there was something else going on in those eyes of hers, something that seemed to pop up as soon as she saw me.

Maybe it was something similar to what I was feeling right now? Truth be told, I have no idea.

"Can I help you?" she asked after a second, making me jump back to reality and out of my train of thought that I'm sure would have kept me standing there all day. For a second I almost didn't answer, even though it was a simple question. Hell, I didn't blame her either; I probably look like I'd be more suited sitting in some corporate office rather than a card shop in downtown Tokyo.

"Ah, right…" I said as I held up the deck, then placed it on the counter. "I was wondering what you could tell me about these."

She raised a brow and glanced down at the deck before picking it up and sifting through the cards. Cue a confused look on her face the more she looks, until finally she looks up at me.

"Where did you get these?" she asked.

"Something wrong with them?"

"No, not at all." she shook her head. "And that's the strange part."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"This isn't one of the normal clans."

What?

"And they're not fake either, see here?" She pointed to a small 'V' icon in one of the corners of the card. "That shows these are legitimate, and you can't just copy something like this."

"Good eye. You're catching on."

I turned at the sudden new voice, finding someone standing behind me. He was a pretty young man with spiky green hair, dressed in a white button shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a pair of thick framed glasses. I glanced down and noted the blue apron he wore that looked pretty similar to the counter girl's. So I guess he works here too.

"And… you are?" I asked.

"Oh, my name is Shinemon Nitta, I'm the manager here at Card Capital."

The manager, huh? Good to know.

"So, what's going on over here?" Shin added. In response, I picked up the deck off the counter and show it to him. "Hm… Megami Tensei… are you serious?!" I watched him take a look through the deck, his face looking just as confused as the counter girl's before some sort of excited look washed that away. "There's a new clan?! When?! Why didn't they announce it?!"

"Beats me." I shrugged. "Someone just gave these things to me. I don't know anything about them."

"Wait, someone just gave these to you?" Shin asked.

"Well, it's more accurate to say that someone handed these off to one of my… acquaintances, and told them to give it to me." I replied.

"That's… pretty bizarre." the counter girl added.

"Tell me something I don't know." I said. "All I know is someone wanted me to have these cards-"

"C'mon, I didn't do it. Just lay off already."

I looked over to where I heard the voice and saw that the spiky haired kid was apparently talking with that other guy I'd seen approach him and his friend before. And by the looks of it, the kid didn't seem too happy.

"You stole my _Perfect Raizer_ card!" the kid snapped, pointing accusingly at the shady looking teen.

"I dunno what you're talking about. I think you just made that up." he said dismissively, trying to act as casual as possible.

…The hell does this punk think he's trying to fool? The tone in his voice is just _oozing_ with bullshit. Sometimes it helps to have an over analytical brain.

Which is probably also why I stepped up ready to get involved.

"Hey, the hell's going on here?" I asked, raising my voice a bit to get their attention.

"This guy here took my _Perfect Raizer_ card! I saw him swipe it while he was putting away his deck!" the spiky-haired kid replied, still pointing right at the other guy.

"Tch, that's a lie!" he snapped as he held up his deck. "I'll have you know my deck also has a _Perfect Raizer_ in it, so-" He didn't finish his sentence before, to my surprise, I saw the counter girl stepping forward and swiping the deck out of his hands. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"

I eyed the counter girl with a little curiosity as she held the deck for a second in her hands, her eyes closed like she was thinking hard on something. When she opened them again, she was looking right at the shady guy with a look that suggested she didn't buy his shit any more than I did.

"That's strange," she said as she sifted through the deck, not once taking her eyes off of him. "I've seen you in this shop before, and you've never used _Perfect Raizer_."

"What?! How would you know that?!" he countered.

"Unfortunately for you, I remember every cardfight I've seen in this shop." she said evenly as she took out one particular card from the deck and put the rest back together.

"What? T-That can't be true, c'mon!" the teen insisted, but all the counter girl did was put the deck back in his hands and step past him.

"In any case, your deck works just fine without _Perfect Raizer_." she added, handing the single card over to the kid. "Here."

"Wha-? You're really giving that to him?!" the teen gawked. Big mistake on his part. In an instant, Counter Girl had taken another card off the table, whipped around, and sliced through the air so quick the poor twit actually lost a few inches off his bangs. The punk was scared shitless too, from what I could plainly see.

"Because it's _his_! You'd really steal other people's cards?! You're a jerk!" Counter Girl snapped right back. "Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk!"

By now a crowd of other customers had gathered around because of the scene we were making, and the shady fuck over here was definitely starting to look nervous.

"W-What are you all looking at?!" he grunted.

"They're looking at a rotten human being who's also a card thief! And that would be you!" she shot back, shooting him a glare even I'd probably think twice about. And the minute she did, he was already out the door. "And don't come back!"

Everyone in the shop applauded the counter girl as she watched the little pussy run with his tail between his legs. I didn't clap, but admittedly I was a little impressed. Turns out she's not your typical bored-out-of-her-mind counter girl. I'll be sure to note that.

"Way to go, sistah!" said the blonde teen I'd noticed earlier.

"Yeah, way to go, Misaki!" Shin added.

"Thanks for the help, shop manager…" she muttered, and Shin just nodded in response, likely trying to disguise the fact that he didn't do anything at all.

"Thank you so much, ma'am!" Spiky Kid spoke up.

"Don't mention it," she said offhandedly, glancing back towards him. "You know, I always had a funny feeling about that guy."

"Man that was great!" Blondie added. "Especially that bit about you remembering every fight."

"That wasn't a lie. I'm always watching you guys."

And with that, she walked off and back behind the counter. Needless to say what she said caught my ears.

"So you mean… you seriously remember every fight that happens here?" Spiky Kid wondered. "It's like you have some sort of-"

"Eidetic memory." I blurted out. "You've perfectly retained every single thing you experience while you sit there and watch the customers. Like taking a photo." Some of the others, and even the counter girl, looked at me after I'd said that. A few of them were surprised or confused, but the counter girl just stared at me for a second with a neutral expression, not really responding otherwise.

"If that's true, then you must be a really strong cardfighter." Spiky Kid realized. "How about a fight with me?"

"…No thanks," was all she said. "I've worked here for a while, but I've never played."

"Seriously?! Why not?!" the kid asked as he ran up to the counter and jumped up, literally hanging onto the countertop.

"Why do you care? I'm not interested…" she replied as she just went on to reading a book, her bored expression coming back.

"…In that case, how about fighting me?"

Everyone turned and looked right at me after I blurted that out. I don't blame them. Even I don't know what the hell I'm doing right now. Even Counter Girl turned her head slightly and glanced my way too. But at least i caught her attention.

Well, might as well roll with this. I took out the mystery deck again and held it up. "I'm not exactly a beginner, but it's been years since I last played, so I don't see how we both can't benefit from this." I reasoned.

She just kept staring at me for a second, probably thinking my offer over, until finally she turned away. "Alright, I might as well try." she said.

And then suddenly…

"YIPPEE!" Shin suddenly exclaimed, jumping up and grinning like a kid. "The time has finally come! A day when Misaki would want to try playing Vanguard all on her own! I'm so happy!" And then before I could figure out what the fuck was going on, the manager was suddenly grinning wide at me and shaking my hand excitedly. "Oh thank you, thank you so much, whoever you are!"

Then, in the blink of an eye, he dashed over to the counter girl, a deck of cards suddenly in his hand. "Misaki! I've had this deck prepared for you for a very long time!" he said, still grinning like a little kid.

"U-Um, okay?" she said, not sure how else to respond as Shin placed the deck in her hands.

"Let the game begin!" the manager cheered excitedly, though everyone else seemed off-put by his enthusiasm.

"The hell is this guy's deal…?" I wondered.

A minute or two later, the manager had ushered me and the counter girl down into that lowered portion of the floor I'd seen before. Turns out that the only thing there was a shiny, long white table of some sort with a large black screen covering the whole top surface, with silver handlebars on each side of the table. As I walked down and over to one side, the screened surface lit up and displayed what I recalled as the game board for Vanguard, zones and all. I brushed my fingers against the surface of the table, strangely overcome with more of that odd feeling from when I first got here.

"Standing Fight Table…" I murmured, not sure where the name came from. I watched as the counter girl went to the other side of the table and placed down the deck the manager had given her. Shin stood in between us, acting as the referee for the fight, I guess.

"You know, I'm surprised you actually accepted." I said to the counter girl.

"Like I said, I might as well try…" she replied, though I caught something in the tone of her voice. Again with these weird vibes… "By the way, I didn't catch your name."

"Can't catch what I don't drop." I answered. "It's Kazuya. Kazuya Minegishi."

"Misaki Tokura."

"And Kamui the Great will be here to explain the rules of the game!" Spiky Kid spoke up from above, everyone having crowded around the rails to watch. So his name is Kamui. Got it.

"There's no need." Misaki said. "Watching you guys for so long has taught me the rules."

"I don't really need it either," I added. "I haven't played in a few years but I can at least remember how to get myself going."

"O-Oh… alright." Kamui said, probably a little bummed that he didn't get to explain the rules.

And on that note, time to try and remember everything you do to get started. I looked through the deck and took out what I figured would be my starter and set it down, then shuffled my deck and drew out my opening hand. I'd also noticed a small stack of cards in the deck that looked different from the rest, but I had set them to the side not knowing what they did. As Misaki got ready too I took the chance to glance through the effects of some of the cards in my hand, trying to remind myself of how things worked.

' _Either way, I have no idea how these cards specifically work, so I'm already at a huge disadvantage…'_ I thought to myself as Misaki finished her prep.

"Alright, are both players ready?" Shin asked, to which we both nodded. "Then let's begin!"

And with that, the two of us placed our hands on our starters and flipped them over.

"STAND UP! (MY) VANGUARD!"

 _In my mind's eye, the battlefield became a massive rocky plain with plateaus rising up in the distance. Nearby, a small pond could be seen that rippled as we emerged on Cray. In a flash of light, I'd transformed into a tall warrior with long silver hair, covered from the neck down in sleek green armor, black gloves, black boots, and a white cape. In the right hand I carried a long silver lance._ **[Fairy Knight, Tam Lin - 6000 Power]**

" _Fairy Knight, Tam Lin_!"

 _As for Misaki, she changed into a slightly taller and older version of herself, dressed in pink and white armor fastened on her shoulders, legs and torso that hardly covered her body, and a metallic wreath floated behind her head. She primed the white staff tipped with two diamond–shaped gems she held in her hands and looked towards me, prepared for battle._ **[Lozenge Magus - 6000 Power]**

" _Lozenge Magus_!"

"Eh? I've never seen that card before." Spiky Kid furrowed his brows in confusion, having caught him glancing down at my card from the corner of my eye.

"Must be a new clan." Blondie shrugged, letting a grin seep through. "Either way, this should be a fun fight."

I darted my eyes towards the spectators, hearing their comments about my cards. I also noticed that Misaki was giving my Vanguard the same strange look from before too.

"Alright, everyone!" Shin suddenly announced, catching the attention of the others. "Let's imagine Misaki riding _Lozenge Magus_!"

I blinked as, within the span of two seconds, the manager went from making some of the spectators blush at the thought to being turned into a face crater when Misaki expertly smashed her boot against the back of his head.

"Keep your mouth shut!" Misaki snapped.

"Grumpy-pants…" Shin muffled out from the crater.

Misaki just ignored him and took the first turn, drawing a card and immediately taking one from her hand to place down. "Ride! _Circle Magus_!"

 _Replacing_ Lozenge Magus _on Cray was another female figure, this one wearing a cream colored dress layered with white and blue armor bearing an obvious circle motif, including a circle headpiece in Misaki's hair, large circular plates on her shoulders almost like pauldrons, and two circular shields on each arm._ **[Circle Magus - 8000 Power]**

" _Lozenge Magus_ lets me draw a card when I ride over her." Misaki explained as she also drew another card after riding.

' _So her clan is Oracle Think Tank…'_ I thought to myself, taking note of the Grade 1 staring me down and what I recalled about Oracle Think Tank. But as I was thinking, my ears perked up when the younger girl seemed to have the same thought as me.

"Oracle Think Tank is…" Shin started to explain in response to the girl's curiosity.

"A c-corporate giant associated with fortune tellers and prophets!" Spiky Kid cut in. "It's a clan with strong defense that fights with deliberation."

"Huh! I can't wait to find the clan that's right for me." the little girl beamed.

"And that's my turn," Misaki said, passing turn to me

 **Misaki**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Circle Magus** / Empty  
 **Hand:** 6  
 **Damage:** None

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Fairy Knight, Tam Lin** / Empty  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** None

"Alright then. Draw." I said as I started my turn. "Ride! Horseman of War, Red Rider!"

 _On the battlefield,_ Tam Lin _transformed into a whole new figure in a flash of dark green light, my astral body changing between bodies in the process. The new unit was a skeletal figure with a black cloak draped over his form and a hood sitting on his head, a massive silvery longsword in his right hand. The figure also sat on top of a horse covered in deep crimson hair, hence the name._ **[Horseman of War, Red Rider - 9000 Power]**

"Using _Tam Lin's_ skill, I draw one card when riding over him." I added, doing as my Grade 0 said. I scanned through my hand again and saw something I could go with. "Call! Jack Frost! Jack-o-Lantern!"

 _Appearing next to Red Rider were two new units. One was a small, pudgy snowman with arms and legs, wearing a frilled blue collar and a matching blue jester's cap, a goofy smile on his face. Behind him was a pumpkin-headed creature that floated above the ground due to having no legs. Instead, its dark cloak fluttered about while a pair of white gloves served as its hands, holding a small lantern in the left hand. To finish the look, there was a dark pointed hat on top of its "head"._ **[Jack Frost - 8000 Power], [Jack-o-Lantern - 7000 Power]**

"A creepy snowman and a headless pumpkin ghost?" the Spiky kid shuddered.

"What, don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts?" The blondie snickered.

"Shut up, I ain't afraid of anything!"

"Using _Jack Frost's_ skill, I can Soul Charge once he's called from the hand." I explained as I placed the top card of my deck under my Vanguard.

 **[Soul Charge - Prison Dragon, Vritra]**

"And when I do, I can also draw a card." I thought my options over again for a quick second before nodding to myself, deciding this would be fine for now. "Boosted by _Jack-o-Lantern_ , _Jack Frost_ attacks the Vanguard!"

"No guard." Misaki replied.

" _Jack Frost, you're up first!"_ Red Rider _ordered._

" _Yes, my Vanguard! Ho!"_ Jack Frost _nodded as he rushed forward._ **[8000 Power + 7000 Power = 15000 Power]** _Taking in a big breath,_ Jack Frost _let out a big huff that assaulted_ Circle Magus _with a gust of frigid wind._

"Damage Check," Misaki announced as she flipped over the top card of her deck.

 **[Damage Check - Goddess of Insight, Sotoorihime - No Trigger]**

" _Red Rider_ attacks the Vanguard!" I continued as I turned my Vanguard sideways. I noticed Misaki pause for a second, probably considering whether to take the attack or not, before responding.

"No guard."

I didn't say anything as I did my Drive Check, flipping over a card from the top of my own deck.

 **[Drive Check - Celestial Dancer, Apsaras - No Trigger]**

 _Red Rider reared his steed back before charging forward, his sword poised and ready. Just as horse and rider got close to Circle Magus, the horse reared back once again and stomped down forcefully, making Circle Magus flinch before the rider swung his sword as he began turning to head back the way he came, grazing the magus' midsection._

 **[Damage Check - Silent Tom - No Trigger]**

"My turn's over," I announced.

 **Misaki**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Circle Magus** / Empty  
 **Hand:** 6  
 **Damage:** Goddess of Insight, Sotoorihime [U], Silent Tom [U]

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Horseman of War, Red Rider** / Jack Frost  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Jack-o-Lantern  
 **Hand:** 6  
 **Damage:** None

"Stand and draw," Misaki nodded, standing her Vanguard and drawing for the turn before plucking a card from her hand. "Ride! _Promise Daughter_!"

 _Replacing_ Circle Magus _as Misaki's spirit changed bodies was a tall woman, dressed in a dark teal bodysuit, with silver armor and padding lining her arms and hips, while headgear in the same style protected her head, and a metallic, wing-like contraption was attached on her back._ **[Promise Daughter - 9000 Power]**

"Call! _Silent Tom_!" she added as she laced down another card in the rear-guard.

 _Now next to_ Promise Daughter _was a tall, pale-skinned man wearing a black suit, angular hat, and dark sunglasses, his fingertips being replaced with individual gun barrels. Floating next to him was the ghost of a long haired woman in a party dress, resting a hand on his shoulder._ **[Silent Tom - 9000 Power]**

"And his skill activates!" Misaki added as she flipped down one card in her damage zone. "I Counter Blast, and _Silent Tom_ gains 6000 Power during this turn!" **[9000 Power + 6000 Power = 15000 Power]** "Now, _Silent Tom_ attacks the Vanguard!" I was about to reach for a card in my hand when Misaki suddenly added, "Due to _Silent Tom's_ skill, you can't guard with normal units against him when he attacks a Vanguard."

"Tch!" I clicked my tongue as my attempt to guard was suddenly thwarted. "No guard."

" _Do it!"_ Promise Daughter _commanded._

" _Yes, my Vanguard!"_ Silent Tom _chuckled as he made a gun with his fingers and fired off a few rounds at_ Red Rider _, grazing his shoulder and the side of his horse._

As I imagined the attack, the image was actually strong enough that I instinctively flinched and stepped back just as _Silent Tom's_ attack connected, but I grabbed onto the table to steady myself, and I heard a small chuckle escape my own mouth for a second as I did the damage check.

 **[Damage Check - Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long - No Trigger]**

" _Promise Daughter_ attacks the Vanguard!" Misaki went on, holding up her hand of five cards for me to see. "And when _Promise Daughter_ attacks while I have at least four cards in my hand, she gains 6000 Power!"

"Hmph, I guard with _Horseman of Famine, Black Rider_!" I countered as I placed a card down in the Guardian Circle.

 _The armored woman rushed forward at_ Red Rider _, determined to deliver a hit._ **[9000 Power + 6000 Power = 15000 Power]** _However, just before she could launch her attack, a new horseman suddenly appeared to protect_ Red Rider _, this one also being a cloaked skeletal figure, but instead of a red steed, his was jet black, while the rider himself carried a glimmering silver scale in his right hand._ **[9000 Power + 10000 Shield = 19000 Power]**

"Drive Trigger, check," Misaki declared as she flipped over another card.

 **[Drive Check - CEO Amaterasu - No Trigger]**

"And my turn ends there." Misaki nodded to me.

 **Misaki**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Promise Daughter** / Silent Tom  
 **Hand:** 6  
 **Damage:** Goddess of Insight, Sotoorihime [F], Silent Tom [U]

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Horseman of War, Red Rider** / Jack Frost  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Empty / Jack-o-Lantern  
 **Hand:** 5  
 **Damage:** Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long [U]

"The damage count is 1-2 with the new guy in the lead." Blondie said. "Now it's gonna get interesting from here."

"Stand and draw." I said as I started the turn again. I scanned through and found a card to ride, plucking it out and placing in on the field. "Ride! _Wind of Good Luck, Kurama Tengu_!"

 _Appearing in place of_ Red Rider _was a tall, muscular birdman with dark blue feathers covering his body, and dressed in traditional Japanese clothing colored in white with black patches here and there. In his hands he carried a conch shell as a horn, which he blew to signal his entrance onto the battlefield._ **[Wind of Good Luck, Kurama Tengu - 10000 Power]**

"Call! _Goddess of Dragons, Kikuri-Hime_! _Horseman of Conquest, White Rider_!" I added, placing two more cards down on the field.

 _Now appearing next to_ Kurama Tengu _was a dark-skinned woman with long white hand, dressed in a modified yukata colored in red, white, and black. The outfit sported detached sleeves, large red disk-like headpieces on either side of her head, and two pieces of red armor at the hips with large green gems placed in the middle of each._ **[10000 Power]** _Then, appearing behind the Vanguard was another skeletal horseman, but this one rode atop a stark white horse and carried an old-looking scythe in its hands._ **[8000 Power]**

"Boosted by _Jack-o-Lantern_ , _Jack Frost_ … attacks _Silent Tom_!" I declared as I turned the two cards to the side.

"No guard." Misaki replied.

 _Once more Jack Frost charged into the fray along with his pumpkin-headed ally, ready for another round of fighting._ **[8000 Power + 7000 Power = 15000 Power]** _The snow demon took in another big breath before huffing it all out in a localized mini-blizzard that assaulted Silent Tom, who soon vanished when the attack became too much for him._

"Boosted by _White Rider_ , _Kurama Tengu_ attacks the Vanguard!" I continued with the attack, turning my next two cards sideways. "And when _White Rider_ boosts, he gives the unit he's boosting another 3000 Power!"

"...No guard." Misaki replied, just like before.

" _White Rider, you're with me!" Kurama Tengu said as he took to the sky._

" _Yes, sir…"_ White Rider _responded in a raspy voice, galloping forward on his horse with his superior._ **[10000 Power + 8000 Power + 3000 Power = 21000 Power]**

"Drive Trigger, check!"

 **[Drive Check - Demon Sword, Rakshasa - Critical Trigger]**

"Critical Trigger! The power goes to _Kikuri-Hime_ , and the Critical effect stays with Kurama Tengu!" I said, deciding on the best course of action for the moment. **[10000 Power + 10000 Power = 20000 Power]**

 _Brimming with new strength,_ Kurama Tengu _flew down right at the armored woman and struck with a dive bomb attack, knocking her back while_ White Rider _swung with his scythe, grazing her abdomen._ **[Critical: 1-2]**

"Checking the Damage Trigger," the counter girl said as she flipped over two cards this time, one after another..

 **[Damage Check - CEO Amaterasu - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Weather Forecaster, Miss Mist - Draw Trigger]**

"Draw Trigger! The Power goes to Promise Daughter, and I draw." she declared as the second card was revealed, which sported a Draw Trigger icon in the corner. **[9000 Power + 10000 Power = 19000 Power]**

" _Kikuri-Hime_ attacks the Vanguard!" I went on as I rested my last rear-guard. "And when attacking a Vanguard, her skill adds 5000 Power!"

" _Oracle Guardian, Nike_!" Misaki countered, placing a Trigger down on the Guardian Circle.

Kikuri-Hime _rose into the air as flames gathered in front of her, forming a sphere before she launched it all towards the enemy._ **[20000 Power + 5000 Power = 25000 Power]** _But just before the attack could land, a statue of a Greek woman appeared directly in the flames' path, the arms seemingly detached and floating at its sides._ **[19000 Power + 15000 Shield = 34000 Power]** _The status easily blocked the attack before vanishing, having done its duty._

"Turn end." I nodded and motioned to Misaki.

 **Misaki**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Oracle Guardian, Gemini / Empty  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Promise Daughter** / Empty  
 **Hand:** 6  
 **Damage:** Goddess of Insight, Sotoorihime [F], Silent Tom [U], CEO Amaterasu [U], Weather Forecaster, Miss Mist [U]

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Goddess of Dragons, Kikuri-Hime / **Wind Spirit, Kurama Tengu** / Jack Frost  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Horseman of Conquest, White Rider / Jack-o-Lantern  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long [U]

"Stand and draw," Misaki started her turn, nodding back to me. She then took a card from her hand and placed it down on her Vanguard circle. "Ride! _Imperial Daughter_!"

 _On Cray,_ Promise Daughter _vanished in a flash of light, now replaced with a slightly taller woman outfitted in a vaguely similar outfit and having taken on Misaki's features, but colored in green with a blue and white breastplate overtop the bodysuit. Floating next to her on either side were two halves of what looked like some kind of large metal shell that could come together around her._ **[Imperial Daughter - 12000 Power]**

When she rode her Vanguard, I also noticed as Misaki reached over, took one of the silver cards from the stack next to her, and added it to her hand. "Imaginary Gift - Protect!"

' _Imaginary Gift?'_ I wondered. _'What did she add to her hand just now?'_

"Here it comes, Imaginary Gift!" Kamui said excitedly.

"I haven't seen that Imaginary Gift before!" Emi noted up with the spectators. "What is it anyway?"

"There are three kinds of-"

"There are three kinds." Kamui interrupted Shin, making the manager slump a little. "But unlike Big Brother Aichi's Force, or the Great… er, I mean _my_ Accel, her Protect lets her take action during the opponent's turn."

"During her opponent's turn?"

"Yeah."

" _Imperial Daughter's_ skill activates!" Misaki announced as she reached for the first few cards on top of her deck.

' _She looks at the top two cards, adds one to her hand… and places the other on top of the deck…'_ I mused, watching as she played out the effect.

"What the heck?" Kamui suddenly gasped.

"What is it?" Emi asked.

"Take a look at how many cards she has in her hand!" I took a look myself, not even needing to wonder about how she was doing a little better than me on hand size.

"You're right!"

"This is what makes Oracle Think Tank so scary. But isn't this the first time she's touched that deck?"

"Oh, so you noticed too, Kamui?" Shin piped up again.

"Yeah, the way she's playing, it's hard to believe she's a beginner."

"Call! _CEO Amaterasu_ , _Promise Daughter_ , and two _Oracle Guardian, Gemini_ units!" Misaki continued as she placed down three more cards on the field.

 _Appearing next to_ Imperial Daughter _were several new units. One was a woman with long, flowing dark hair and dressed in a Japanese ceremonial outfit, a small mirror hovering in front of her. Along with her were two pairs of winged babies, both appearing in the back, while Promise Daughter also reappeared in the front row._ **[CEO Amaterasu - 12000 Power], [Promise Daughter - 9000 Power], [Oracle Guardian, Gemini - 8000 Power] (x2)**

"With power from _Gemini_ , _Imperial Daughter_ attacks the Vanguard!" Misaki declared as she restedher units. I looked down at my smallish hand and frowned.

"No guard." I replied.

"Twin Drive, check!" Misaki added as she revealed the top two cards.

 **[Drive Check - Oracle Guardian, Nike - Critical Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Imperial Daughter - No Trigger]**

"Tch! I had a feeling…" I muttered as soon as the Critical Trigger was checked. _'A unit with the power to alter the cards on top of her deck… That's another thing that makes her clan so strong.'_

"Critical Trigger! The Power goes to _Amaterasu_ and the Critical stays with my Vanguard!" Misaki clarified as the Trigger effects kicked in. **[CEO Amaterasu - 12000 Power + 10000 Power = 22000 Power], [Imperial Daughter - Critical: 1-2]**

" _Let's go, everyone!"_ Imperial Daughter _called out to her allies._ **[12000 Power + 8000 Power = 20000 Power]**

" _Yes, sir!"_ Amaterasu _replied._

" _No problem!" both_ Gemini _added. The armored woman then charged forward, a mass of energy forming in her hands as she got closer to Kurama Tengu, which she slammed into the enemy Vanguard's chest as soon as she was in striking range, sending the enemy stumbling back._

"Damage check," I said, checking the top two cards.

 **[Damage Check - Deva King, Bishamonten - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Jack-o-Lantern - No Trigger]**

"Next is _CEO Amaterasu_ boosted by _Gemini_!" Misaki continued as she rested her other two units.

"Hmph… No guard."

 _Amaterasu, seeing her leader's successful attack, flew in next intending to follow up. She released a burst of light from her mirror, knocking the enemy vanguard back as the attack connected._

"Damage check,"

 **[Damage Check - Prison Dragon, Vritra - No Trigger]**

"Turn end." Misaki said, apparently unable to do anything else.

 **Misaki**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Oracle Guardian, Gemini / Oracle Guardian, Gemini  
 **Front Row:** Promise Daughter / **Imperial Daughter** / CEO Amaterasu  
 **Hand:** 6  
 **Damage:** Goddess of Insight, Sotoorihime [F], Silent Tom [U], CEO Amaterasu [U], Weather Forecaster, Miss Mist [U]

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Empty / **Wind of Good Luck, Kurama Tengu** / Jack Frost  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Horseman of Conquest, White Rider / Jack-o-Lantern  
 **Hand:** 4  
 **Damage:** Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long [U], Deva King, Bishamonten [U], Jack-o-Lantern [U], Prison Dragon, Vritra [U]

"Alright… stand and draw." I said as I drew my next card, and my eyes widening a little when I saw what I'd drawn. It was the same unit I'd seen before when I first looked at the deck, that unit named Abel. I went to simply put it with the rest of my hand, but something told me otherwise, urging me to play it. Without a reason to doubt that gut feeling, I nodded to myself and placed the card down.

"Ride! _The Avenger, Abel_!"

 _On Cray,_ Kurama Tengu _suddenly became engulfed in a greenish aura, his form vanishing completely and leaving my spirit body behind, but soon enough a new body came to take my place. Now standing across from the Oracle Think Tank group was a tall warrior, clad in bluish-cyan armor over a dark lavender bodysuit. The warrior's face was hidden behind a metallic mask the same color as the armor, and long, untidy purple hair, with a patch of red near the front, flew out behind him. In his hands the warrior gripped a bastard sword with a silver blade and golden body, making his appearance even more intimidating._ **[The Avenger, Abel - 12000 Power]**

"Abel…" Misaki muttered. "Why does that…?"

I ignored her for just a second as I picked up one of the silver-backed cards next to me, noticing that the strange emblem on the back matched the icon on Abel's card.

"...What _is_ Imaginary Gift?" I asked out loud.

"You mean you don't know?" Misaki questioned.

"No… This was never around back when I used to play." I replied.

"Then allow me to explain," Shin spoke up, adjusting his glasses. "Imaginary Gift is a special power only granted to your Vanguard once you reach Grade 3. It's a blessing you receive from your units on Cray. There are three types: Force, Accel, and Protect, and each one does something different. It looks like your clan's type is Accel, so… now that you've ridden your Vanguard, you get an extra Rear-Guard Circle in the front."

"Wait, really?" I replied, raising a brow in surprise. Shin nodded. "A power of blessing from my units… Alright, let's see what this 'power' can do for me - Imaginary Gift: Accel!" Looking down at the marker for a second, I placed it down right next to my front row rear-guard circle on the left.

"Next comes the skill of _Kurama Tengu_!" I added. "When ridden by a Grade 3, I Soul Blast to call a Demon from my deck, giving it 5000 Power for the turn! I call _Jack Frost_!"

 _Appearing in the front row was another copy of the pudgy snowman, this one wearing a cap and collar of a slightly lighter blue than the one in the back._ **[Jack Frost - 8000 Power + 5000 Power = 13000 Power]**

" _Jack Frost's_ skill! Since he was called from the deck, I call _Kikuri-Hime_ from the Drop Zone with an extra 4000 Power!" I said as I took the Grade 2 from the Drop Zone and placed her in the front row, where she joined the rest of my units on Cray. **[Goddess of Dragons, Kikuri-Hime - 10000 Power + 4000 Power = 14000 Power]**

"I also call _Deva King, Koumokuten_ to the Accel Circle!" I declared as I placed yet another unit down, this one on my new rear-guard circle.

 _Appearing next on the far left was a tall orange-skinned humanoid with dark blue hair, dressed in burgundy armor overtop white robes. He got into a combat stance, staring down_ Imperial Daughter _._ **[Deva King, Koumokuten - 10000 Power + 10000 Power = 20000 Power]**

' _Alright, everything should be set…'_

" _Deva King, Koumokuten_ attacks the Vanguard!"

"No guard…" Misaki said with a nod.

" _Go for it!"_ Abel _ordered, turning to_ Koumokuten _._

" _As you wish, my Vanguard!" the armored warrior replied as he charged forward at the enemy leader, leaping into the air and delivering a swift flying kick before_ Imperial Daughter _could react._

 **[Damage Check - Sphere Magus - Heal Trigger]**

"I got a Heal Trigger," Misaki noted, taking a card out of her damage zone and putting it into the drop zone. "The Power goes to _Imperial Daughter_!" **[Imperial Daughter - 12000 Power + 10000 Power = 22000 Power]**

"Don't think that'll help you," I countered as I rested the units in my middle column. "Boosted by _White Rider_ , _Abel_ attacks the Vanguard!"

"What is he thinking? He's wasting an attack with his Vanguard!" I heard Kamui comment from above. I saw the confusion on Misaki's face across from me, but then her eyes drifted down to _Abel's_ card, and I could tell something was clicking.

"So you figured it out." I remarked to her, reaching over to flip down a card in my damage zone. "Then I'll use _Abel's_ skill! When he attacks, I place one Revenge Counter on him for every rear-guard in my front row!"

"Counters? No way!" Kamui gasped in awe.

"There haven't been any clans so far that use that kind of thing." Blondie added.

I ignored them and continued. "I have three units in the front row, so _Abel_ gains three Revenge Counters! And every counter he has gives him 5000 Power!"

"Then that means-!" Misaki started.

Abel _stared down_ Imperial Daughter _in silence for a moment, before raising up his sword and pointing it at her. As he did so, a strange, unearthly aura began to emanate from his form._

" _White Rider, lend me your power…"_ Abel _said, not taking his eyes off of his enemy for even a second._

" _Of course, my Vanguard…"_ White Rider _chuckled as a piece of his own aura seemed to flow into Abel's, which made the latter's intensify even more, seemingly._ **[The Avenger, Abel - 12000 Power + 8000 Power + 15000 Power = 35000 Power / Revenge Counters: 0-3]**

" _Imaginary Gift: Protect_!" Misaki countered, placing down the marker card in her hand to guard with, then discarding a card.

 _As_ Abel _rushed ahead, his sword at the ready,_ Imperial Daughter _suddenly conjured up a large greenish circular glyph that completely blocked Abel's attempt at attacking as soon as he tried to strike it, having no result at all._ **[Imaginary Gift: Protect - 0 Shield]**

' _I see… so it acts as a Perfect Guard…'_ I mused in my head.

"That won't stop me! Twin Drive!" I declared as I flipped over my top two cards, my eyebrow raising at what I found, but then the hint of a smirk appeared on my face.

 **[Drive Check - The Avenger, Abel - No Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Deception Beast, Kabuso - Front Trigger]**

"Front Trigger!" I noted with satisfaction as my whole front row got considerably stronger. **[Deva King, Koumokuten - 20000 Power + 10000 Power = 30000 Power], [The Avenger, Abel - 35000 Power + 10000 Power = 45000 Power], [Jack Frost - 13000 Power + 10000 Power = 23000 Power], [Goddess of Dragons, Kikuri-Hime - 14000 Power + 10000 Power = 24000 Power]**

"And if you think that's all then you're sorely mistaken," I smirked.

" _ **A demon of vengeance never relents, never forgets! Superior Ride: Oblivion Correction!"**_

"Superior Ride?!" some of the spectators gasped.

"After _Abel_ attacks, I pay the cost…" I began as I took two cards from the Drop Zone and put them on the bottom of my deck. After that, I took another card from my hand - one of the ones I just got through the drive check - and held it up. "...And when I do, I Superior Ride! Stand once more, demonic swordsman of Dark Zone! Superior Ride! _The Avenger, Abel_!"

 _In a quick burst, the swordsman's aura expanded up and outwards before suddenly coalescing back into himself, revealing him still there, but seemingly stronger somehow._ **[The Avenger, Abel - 12000 Power]**

"Imaginary Gift: Accel!" I announced as I took another marker and placed it down in my front row, this time on the far right.

"No way, he re-rode his Vanguard just like that?" Kamui gasped.

"Is that good?" Emi wondered.

"It's very good. By being able to ride your Vanguard quickly, it gives you more opportunities to attack with the Vanguard and even get more Imaginary Gifts." Shin explained.

"This time for sure… _Abel_ attacks the Vanguard!" I declared, turning my Vanguard sideways. "Activating Abe's skill! Just like before, he gains three Revenge Counters, and each counter gives him 5000 Power!"

 _Once again_ Abel's _body was outlined in an odd, unsettling aura that granted him new power; though this time, the aura seemed to funnel itself into his blade as well._ **[12000 Power + 15000 Power = 27000 Power / Revenge Counters: 0-3]**

"Guard, _Luck Bird_! And I intercept with _Promise Daughter_!" Misaki countered as she started placing cards down in the Guardian Circle.

" _Gargantua Punisher!" Abel shouted,his sword igniting with some fierce power at the exact moment he swung it down in a straight slash. As it started coming down, the sword itself seemingly grew to at least fifty times its normal size and length, but Abel still wielded it perfectly fine. And with the now massive attack crashing towards_ Imperial Daughter's _forces, her loyal servant quickly jumped in to block the attack, while at the same time a small bird covered in vibrant greenish feathers appeared from thin air, and both of them created a barrier to try and block the demonic swordsman's assault._ **[22000 Power + 10000 Shield + 5000 Shield = 37000 Power]**

"Oh man, the new guy was so close!" Blondie commented.

"But he can still turn it around with a Trigger." Kamui pointed out.

"By the way, I should point something else out…" I spoke up, looking at Misaki. "At this moment, _Abel_ has Triple Drive."

"What?" Misaki gasped.

"When Abel is Superior Ridden by his own skill, he gets one Drive." I stated as I reached for my deck. "So I'm checking the Triple Drive!"

I began flipping three cards over, and...

 **[Drive Check - Mad Gasser - No Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Goddess of Flowing Rivers, Anahita - No Trigger]  
[Drive Check - Demon Sword, Rakshasa - Critical Trigger]**

"He got it!" Kamui and Emi exclaimed.

"Critical Trigger…" I stated. "All effects go to _Abel_!"

 _As the two opposing units erected their barrier to block Abel, the swordsman simply continued, not intending to let anything stop him. He pushed harder against the joint defense, meeting a little resistance at first, but after a moment, a burst of power came over Abel and he was able to dispatch both the barrier and the ones holding it up with no further issues._ **[The Avenger, Abel - 27000 Power + 10000 Power = 37000 Power, Critical: 1-2]** _And as the massive attack continued its course down, the enemy Vanguard was left with no further options to defend against it, crying out in agony as the attack connected and obliterated all those who had tried to oppose Abel._

"Damage check…" Misaki said, simply nodding and accepting herloss.

 **[Damage Check - Farfalle Magus - No Trigger]  
[Damage Check - Imperial Daughter - No Trigger]**

 **FINAL RESULTS:**

 **Misaki**  
 **Back Row:** Empty / Oracle Guardian, Gemini / Oracle Guardian, Gemini  
 **Front Row:** Promise Daughter / **Imperial Daughter** / CEO Amaterasu  
 **Hand:** 6  
 **Damage:** Goddess of Insight, Sotoorihime [F], Silent Tom [U], CEO Amaterasu [U], Weather Forecaster, Miss Mist [U]

 **Kazuya**  
 **Front Row:** Goddess of Dragons, Kikuri-Hime / **Wind of Good Luck, Kurama Tengu** / Jack Frost  
 **Back Row:** Jack Frost / Horseman of Conquest, White Rider / Jack-o-Lantern  
 **Accel Circle:** Deva King, Koumokuten (L) - Empty (R)  
 **Hand:** 2  
 **Damage:** Golden Star Dragon, Huang Long [U], Deva King, Bishamonten [U], Jack-o-Lantern [U]

* * *

I let out a quiet sigh of relief as the last damage fell into Misaki's damage zone. Looks like I did it. I won.

The shop was quiet for a second as the results started sinking in for everyone, and after a bit things started going back to how they were before. People started chatting amongst themselves and dispersing, leaving only Shin, Kamui, the girl named Emi, the bluenette, the broody guy, and Blondie nearby.

"Thanks for the game," I nodded to Misaki before turning to head for the stairs. The bluenette, Kamui, and Emi met me at the top.

"That was awesome, mister!" Kamui said excitedly. "Your deck is seriously strong!" The bluenette and Emi nodded in agreement.

"Well, thanks, I guess." I said dismissively. "Though that girl was pretty strong on her own, even I have to admit."

"What? There's no way she can be that good after playing only one game." Kamui argued.

"Hey!" Misaki suddenly called out, looking right at Kamui, which made him jump back a little. "You're next; so come on, let's go."

"W-Wait, it's my turn?" he asked nervously as he slowly made his way down to the table.

"Hey Kazuya, thanks a lot." I turned my head and saw Shin walking up to me.

"Hm? What are you talking about? I haven't done anything." I replied, not sure what he was on about. Shin just shook his head at me.

"It's because of you that Misaki was finally able to open up and try something new all on her own again." he said, adjusting his glasses.

"Is that right?"

"Now you're Misaki's guide, you're her Vanguard." he added, smiling towards me like he was talking with a close friend.

"Excuse me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, but I just shrugged and turned to the door. "Well, whatever. I guess I'll see you around."

"Will you come back? I bet everyone here would be curious to see more of your cards." Shin spoke up, making me slow my approach towards the door.

"...Maybe. Just maybe." I replied before walking out of the shop without any other words.

I'd been walking for a while on my way back to my office when I stopped at an intersection and waited to cross, some promotional material for that new Ultra Rare group playing on the jumbo screen across the way. I was getting ready to cross when I saw a long blond braid fly past me, and the slowing of footsteps.

"So you've met them... That's good." a feminine voice spoke up next to me. I turned my head to the side and saw that the girl the braid belonged to had stopped and spoken, but she wasn't looking right at me, though it was plain to see that I was the one she was addressing. Before I could ask her who the hell she was, she continued. "A word of advice… don't give up on them. Your fates are integral to each other. I'm sure you have questions, but I'm also sure we'll meet again some day soon... I look forward to it, Kazuya Minegishi."

I whipped around to look at her, ready to ask her how she knew my name, but before I knew it, she'd up and vanished, not even a single trace left behind.

"Who… was that?" I muttered. I groaned irritably, seeing as I'd get nowhere trying to figure it out with her gone now. I turned back to the street, sighing as I looked up at the sky and hearing Shin's words suddenly playing in my mind again.

" _Now you're Misaki's guide, you're her Vanguard!"_

"...Her Vanguard, huh?" I mused, but I put it aside as I started walking again and made my way back to the office.

* * *

 _ **Alright, finally got this out… Phew…**_

 _ **Well everyone, here's the first chapter of my newly revised Cardfight Megami Tensei! This took a lot of planning, not to mention the many distractions that held me up in life, but I finally did it, I finally got this finished and published!**_

 _ **So I'm sure some of you are wondering what's gonna happen to the old version. Well, for all intents and purposes, that version is now discontinued. I'm sure some of you are also wondering what this reboot is all about in the first place. Well the answer there is also simple: Once V Series was announced and I started watching the anime at the start of the year, I realized that this gave me way more opportunities for interesting ideas to mess with as opposed to the original Vanguard, so I made an executive decision to just rework the story with V Series in mind and… well, here we are now.**_

 _ **Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter, and expect more to come in the future. Now that I've gotten my plans for this story solidified for the foreseeable future, I know I'm definitely looking forward to getting more of this story cranked out. And if you did enjoy the introduction, remember to like and review, the feedback is always appreciated.**_

 _ **So until next time, everyone!**_

 _ **Stand up, Vanguard!**_

* * *

Fairy Knight, Tam Lin  
Grade 0 / Normal Unit  
Dark Zone - Megami Tensei - Human  
6000 Power / 10000 Shield  
 **[AUTO]:** When rode upon,draw a card.  
 **[AUTO] (Soul):** When your rear-guard attacks, if you have four or more rear-guards, **COST [Put this unit into your Drop Zone]** , and that unit gets +4000 Power until end of that battle for each Grade of your Vanguard. _(+12000 Power if Grade 3)_

Horseman of War, Red Rider  
Grade 1 / Normal Unit  
Dark Zone / Megami Tensei - Zombie/Demon  
9000 Power

Jack Frost  
Grade 1 / Normal Unit  
Dark Zone - Megami Tensei - Demon  
8000 Power / 10000 Shield  
 **[AUTO] (RC) [1/Turn]:** When placed from hand, you may Soul Charge (1). If you Soul Charge, draw a card.  
 **[AUTO] (RC) [1/Turn]:** When placed from deck, call up to one Demon with Grade less than or equal to your Vanguard from your Drop Zone to (RC), and it gets +4000 Power until end of turn.

Jack-o-Lantern  
Grade 1 / Normal Unit  
Dark Zone - Megami Tensei - Demon  
7000 Power / 5000 Shield  
 **[AUTO] (RC) [1/Turn]:** When placed, you may Counter Charge (1), If you Counter Charge, draw a card.  
 **[AUTO] (RC):** When it boosts a Demon, **COST [Soul Blast 1]** , and this unit gets +4000 Power until end of turn. If boosting "Jack Frost", this unit gets +6000 Power instead of +4000 Power.

Horseman of Conquest, White Rider  
Grade 1 / Normal Unit  
Dark Zone - Megami Tensei - Zombie/Demon  
8000 Power / 10000 Shield  
 **[AUTO] (RC):** When boosting, if you have more rear-guards than your opponent, the boosted unit gets +3000 Power until end of turn.

Wind of Good Luck, Kurama Tengu  
Grade 2 / Normal Unit  
Dark Zone - Megami Tensei - High Beast/Demon  
10000 Power / 5000 Shield  
 **[AUTO]:** When rode upon by a Grade 3, **COST [Soul Blast (1)]** , draw a card, search your deck for up to one Grade 2 or less Demon, call it to (RC), and that unit gets +5000 Power until end of turn. Shuffle your deck.

Goddess of Dragons, Kikuri-Hime  
Grade 2 / Normal Unit  
Dark Zone - Megami Tensei - Noble  
10000 Power / 5000 Shield  
 **[ACT] (VC/RC) [1/Turn]: COST [Discard a card from your hand]** Search your deck for up to one Grade 1 or 2 card, and call it to (RC). Shuffle your deck.  
 **[AUTO] (VC/RC):** If this attacks a Vanguard, it gets +5000 Power until the end of that battle.

Deva King, Koumokuten  
Grade 2 / Normal Unit  
Dark Zone / Megami Tensei - Noble/Demon  
10000 Power / 10000 Shield

The Avenger, Abel  
Grade 3 / Normal Unit  
Dark Zone - Megami Tensei - Bel  
12000 Power  
Imaginary Gift: Accel  
 **[AUTO (VC/RC):** When it attacks, **COST [Counter Blast (1)]** , put up to one Revenge Counter on this card for each of your front row rear-guards. This unit gets +5000 Power until end of that battle for each Revenge Counter on it.  
 **[AUTO] (VC):** At the end of a battle when it attacks, **COST [Remove two Revenge Counters from this unit & Put two normal units from your Drop Zone on the bottom of your deck]**, ride up to one "The Avenger, Abel" from your hand as [Stand], and it gets +1 Drive until end of turn.

Demon Sword, Rakshasa  
Grade 0 / Trigger Unit  
Dark Zone - Megami Tensei - Demon  
5000 Power / 15000 Shield  
[Critical Trigger]

Deception Beast, Kabuso  
Grade 0 / Trigger Unit  
Dark Zone - Megami Tensei - High Beast  
5000 Power / 15000 Shield  
[Front Trigger]

 _(The above cards were my creation, and are based off of the Megami Tensei franchise.)_


End file.
